December is the season of giving, and it’s the perfect time to share my very first Hitty storybook for kids. “Hitty’s First Adventure,” is an adaptation of Chapter One from the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, with updated versions of the illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop. I shortened the story and rewrote it for a fourth-grade reading level. The target age is nine to eleven-year-olds. If you know any kids this age, I encourage you to share this link or give them a printed copy of my story. And of course, younger kids may enjoy having the story read to them. Click here to download the storybook!…
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Hitty’s Daguerreotype Photo
Hitty’s Daguerreotype photo is on display in the Stockbridge Library along with her other possessions. But there are actually two different Daguerreotypes: the real one in the library and the illustrated color plate from the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. In the real photo, Hitty wears a brown sprigged dress (see “Hitty’s Daguerreotype Dress”) and sits next to a white vase filled with roses. The photo is black and white, but her dress and the roses have been hand-colored. Hitty’s cheeks have just a hint of pink added. Above: Wendi’s reproduction of Hitty’s Daguerreotype with Michael Langton Hitty (left) and Hitty Sis (right). Did you know that Hitty’s photo…
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The Antique Shop
The Antique Shop on West 8th Street in New York City is where we first met Hitty in the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years (see “Who is Hitty?”). She was sitting on a piece of paper next to a pewter inkstand, holding an old-fashioned quill pen as she began to write her memoirs. After narrating the entire story of her life, Hitty returned to the Antique Shop, making the shop a convenient bridge between Hitty’s past and the present day. “And so we return to New York and the Antique Shop on Eighth Street again, and I will bring my Memoirs to a close.” But the Antique Shop was…
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Niagara Falls Part 2
The next morning, Kitty watched the sun rise over the falls, an impressive sight. Then she put on her very best “garden party” dress with a matching lace hat and left the hotel. NOTE: This is the second part of Flat Hitty and Kitty’s trip to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada (see “Niagara Falls Part 1”). Kitty and Flat Hitty met up at Tim Hortons for some coffee and doughnuts (yum!), before heading to their destination. The girls went to the Niagara Falls History Museum to see a special exhibit called, “It’s My Party: 1950s Women’s Fashion Exhibit.” The temporary exhibit was created by the Wedding and Fashion Museum (on…
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Niagara Falls Part 1
This year Flat Hitty and Kitty decided to go on vacation to see Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. They were very excited to visit a new country and were eager to explore the falls. Flat Hitty wanted to see the falls up close and personal. She went on a touring boat called, “The Maid of the Mist.” The boat was electric-powered and very quiet, but the roaring of the falls drowned everything out. All the people on the boat wore raincoats. Flat Hitty was not concerned about a little mist. It’s a good thing she was laminated, because when the boat approached the Horseshoe Falls, she did get wet! Meanwhile,…
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The Preble Family
The Newbery award-winning book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field is a classic story about a doll’s adventures and travels around the world (see “Who is Hitty?“). Now that the book is in the public domain, my goal is to help people rediscover the story. One of the ways I decided to do that is by creating new illustrations that make the story come alive. First, I made color images of Flat Hitty as a Bride based on the illustrations of Dorothy P. Lathrop. Next, I had the idea of making portraits of some of Hitty’s owners. None of Dorothy’s illustrations depicted people: they were all pictures of…
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Hitty as a Bride
Working with AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create images feels a bit like being buffeted by wind and waves. It is impossible to control and you don’t always end up where you want to be. I found that out during my first attempt to make a realistic image of Hitty as a young lady in “Faces of Hitty.” After doing that project, I had another idea… what if I could use AI to make a colorized version of one of Dorothy P. Lathrop’s black and white illustrations from the Hitty book? With World Doll Day approaching, I thought this project would be the perfect way to celebrate. Since June is a…
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Tulip Time
It’s Tulip Time in Holland, Michigan. Every year, in this picturesque town, thousands of tourists arrive to view the Tulip Festival in early May. Flat Hitty and her friends decided to check it out. In the 19th century, settlers from the Netherlands brought their unique culture to Holland (see Kitty at Dutch Village). Planting tulip bulbs each year is a tradition that continues to this day. Header photo: Hitty Sienna, made by Fung and Bruce Hicks; Wooden Flat Hitty; Hitty Sis, carved by me. Hitty Sienna wore a blue and white printed dress and apron, inspired by a Dutch costume. Hitty Sis wore Hitty’s First Dress, with the addition of…
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Flat Hitty
Who in the world is Flat Hitty? She is the perfect travel companion. Flat Hitty takes up very little space, never complains and doesn’t need food. She is happy to go wherever you want to take her. You can also mail her to a friend or relative and ask them to share photos of Flat Hitty’s adventures. There are three different versions of Flat Hitty to make. I hope you will choose your favorite one and give this free tutorial a try! Read and download Flat Hitty’s storybook, Hitty’s First Adventure. In case you are not familiar with Hitty (see Who is Hitty?), she is a small wooden antique doll…
